TPorter@wichita.gov. If you see the vehicle, please call 911. You can also contact CrimeStoppers at 316-267-2111." />

Wichita police are seeking this person. He is a suspect in the theft of a 2014 white Dodge Caravan from the American Red Cross. The tag on the vehicle is 505 GNR; it has Red Cross placards on the doors. The man said that he was there to pick the vehicle up to take it to a dealership for repair regarding a recall notice. If you have any information about this person, please contact Detective Porter at 316-268-4355 or <a href="mailto:TPorter@wichita.gov">TPorter@wichita.gov</a>. If you see the vehicle, please call 911. You can also contact CrimeStoppers at 316-267-2111. Courtesy of Wichita Police Department

Wichita police are seeking this person. He is a suspect in the theft of a 2014 white Dodge Caravan from the American Red Cross. The tag on the vehicle is 505 GNR; it has Red Cross placards on the doors. The man said that he was there to pick the vehicle up to take it to a dealership for repair regarding a recall notice. If you have any information about this person, please contact Detective Porter at 316-268-4355 or <a href="mailto:TPorter@wichita.gov">TPorter@wichita.gov</a>. If you see the vehicle, please call 911. You can also contact CrimeStoppers at 316-267-2111. Courtesy of Wichita Police Department

Police warn of recall scam with man showing up to pick up vehicles

Wichita police are warning residents and business owners of a scam in which someone claims to be retrieving vehicles that have been recalled for safety reasons.

Two recent incidents a day apart both involved a suspect that may have been the same person, police Lt. Dan East said.

On July 10, a man walked into the Wichita public schools offices downtown and said he was with a local car dealership and had come to pick up a vehicle for a safety recall service, East said. He gave them a vehicle identification number and tag number for a vehicle.

When USD 259 employees questioned him more, the suspect left without taking the vehicle. Employees described him as a white man in his 30s who is about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds.

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He had brown hair and wore sunglasses and a red and black baseball hat. He also wore blue jeans and a white shirt over a dark-colored T-shirt, along with an orange safety vest, East said.

The next day, a man walked into the American Red Cross offices at 707 N. Main and told people there he was from a particular dealership and he was there to pick up a vehicle for a safety recall service. He gave them a vehicle identification number and license tag number and left with the vehicle that matched those numbers: a 2014 Dodge van with Red Cross decals on its side.

It has the license plate number 505 GNR, East said.

Red Cross employees said the suspect was a white male in his late 20s who is about 6 feet tall, wore sunglasses and a red and black baseball cap. He also wore jeans, a white shirt and an orange safety vest.

“From the description, it appears it’s the same individual” as the incident the day before, East said.

Dealerships have told police recalls are not handled in that way, he said. Manufacturers will contact vehicle owners directly, who then make arrangements for the recall service to be done.

Anyone with information about the suspect is encouraged to call investigators at 316-268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111, East said.